A
Description of the Contents of theOFFICIAL
GUIDE of theTARZAN
CLANS OF AMERICA.

A thirty-two-page booklet
containing the rules; various items relating to the Clans, including song-poems;
and at the end, an English, Ape-English dictionary. The cover displayed
a native chief, his savagery stressed with dangling earrings and a feather
in his hair; one upraised arm flourishing a spear while the other held
a shield.

In 1939, ERB sent out circulars encouraging
youngsters to join the TarzanClans
of America. The circular named Johnny Weissmuller as Chief of Chiefs and
C.R. Rothmund as Chief Scribe and it bore ERB's signature as the Founder.
A membership application was enclosed, and a dollar would pay for a membership
card, the Official Guide, a Burroughs novel, the initiation fee, and the
yearly dues.

A letter from Hulbert Burroughs to Rev.
Henry H. Heins, November 28, 1962 and included in A Golden Anniversary
Bibliography of Edgar Rice Burroughs by Henry Hardy Heins:

In your letter of
March 20, 1962, you inquired about the Clan Guide Book for the TarzanClans
of America. My brother states that all of the contents were written by
Edgar Rice Burroughs and that the cover design was drawn by my brother,
John Coleman Burroughs, adapted from one of J. Allen St. John's illustrations.
The sketch of a spear appearing on page 25 was drawn by my brother. John
says specifically that E.R.B. prepared the dictionary of the ape language
appearing on Pages 28 through 32.

To the best of our
knowledge, your assumptions are correct that the Tarzan Clan idea was an
experiment which for one reason or another never actually became airborne.

OFFICIAL
GUIDE of the TARZANCLANS
OF AMERICAwas
copyrighted in 1939 by Edgar Rice Burroughs, Inc.The contents of this 32-page booklet were
for the information of members only. Additional copies could be purchased
by members from the National Headquarters in Tarzana on receipt of 25 cents.

The contents page featured sections on: how
to form the clan and run meetings, the various titles of officers and members,
initiation procedures, pledges, handshakes, passwords, games, field meets,
clan songs, dances, weapons construction, discipline, and an ape language
dictionary.

The Tarzan Clans of
America: The officers consisted of Chief of Chiefs, a Chief of Sub-Chiefs,
a Chief Medicine Man, a Chief Scribe, and a Chief High Priest. The National
Headquarters were at Tarzana, California and the local organizations
known as TarzanClans consisted of
not less than ten members. The regular members were known as First or Second
Class Warriors. Each Clan had to choose a name -- usually based on a character
from an ERB book, an animal or someone famous. At the discretion of the
Clan members, and with the permission of the their parents, girls could
be taken into membership by any Clan.

The national organization was divided into
Tribes consisting of two or more clans which bore the names of the states
in which the local Clans are formed.

The first thing to do at the first meeting
was to elect officers. A new election of officers was held every
six months. The Chief was the leader and “father’ of the Clan who
presided over all meetings. The Sub-Chief acted as the Chief’s First
Lieutenant. The Medicine Man was the treasurer of the Clan
and was in charge of rituals, tribal dances, and the leading of tribal
singing. The Scribe was the secretary who kept the roster, minutes
and club notes. It was recommended that each Clan have an older person
act as High Priest or Priestess, who was an honorary member and was to
assist in organization of the Clan and in directing all its activities.

All new members raised their right hands,
placed their left hands over their hearts and took the Tarzan Pledge of
loyalty to country and clan. They pledged to be helpful, obedient, loyal,
courteous, trustworthy, cheerful, careful, clean, respectful of the government,
and to never reveal any secrets of the clan.

The handbook gave step-by-step procedures
on how to run a meeting. Each meeting concluded with tribal songs and dances,
followed by games and athletic contests. There was also a ritual outlined
for the initiation of new members which involved barking like a jackal,
laughing like a hyena, blowing like the wind, roaring like a lion, running
an kicking like a zebra, and giving the victory cry of the apes.

The secret clan grip involved the grasping
of right hands as in an ordinary handshake, inserting the little finger
between the little finger and third finger of the other member; then squeezing
gently three times in rapid succession, giving the pass word of the Clan
in a whisper. Each Chief was to should select a pass word which only the
Clan members may know.

Each member believed that Tarzan stood for:
strength, muscular development and physical perfection -- being prepared
and keeping fit -- cleanliness -- protection of the weak -- loyalty and
friendship.

A clan member's rating was determined by
a system of "points" kept by the Scribe. Points were earned by paying dues,
attendance, making shields, spears, bows & arrows, climbing, jumping,
running, spear throwing, archery and sportsmanship. These rating points
could be lost through bad behaviour: bullying, striking weaker people,
cruelty to animals, cheating, lying, disobedience, lateness, and absences.

TOTEM -- Each
Clan was to select a totem (animal or object) which was to be painted
on the Clan tom-tom, warrior shields and other articles belonging to the
Clan.

THE BIG MEDICINE
of theClan was its library and every
Clan was advised to commence accumulating books for its library.

GAMES: Teams
were to be formed within the Clan that can play against one another. ERB
suggested that they play the sports and games
that were in season, such as football, baseball, basketball, and track
events. He also suggested that the Medicine Man could even organize a dramatic
company to rehearse and produce plays. A few of the games recommended for
the Clans were:THE WAR GAME
between two teams of warriors in which each tries to knock over lined up
shields of the other with spears or arrows.THE GAME OF WAPPIS
or THE LION AND THE ANTELOPES was a type of hide-and-seek where
numa tried to find hiding antelopes.TARZANIN THE TREE
was a form of tag in which numa chased Tarzan who could find safety when
he reaches pairs of players who are designated "trees".JUNGLE DIN
involved groups of players who took on names and sounds of animals and
who had to search for hidden objects.ANIMAL NAMES
- Players had to name and make sounds of animals suggested by letters of
the alphabet displayed on pieces of cardboard held up by the leader.BLOW OUT was
a variation of the musical chairs game in which each players was given
the name of an auto part and had to leave their chairs and follow the Chauffeur
when that part was called out. When the Chauffeur shouted "blowout" the
player who couldn't find a seat would become the new Chauffeur.AUTOMOBILE RELAY
Each member of teams of eight pretended to have a different auto breakdown
in the race - ie. a flat right tire suggested that that team member would
hop on his left foot. Other handicaps included: flat left tire, no forward
gear, water in the gas, and faulty starter.